Palos Verdes Marathon 2011

After being forced out of the Point Fermin park, this year they had a new course. It is a shame. I loved that course. However Palos Verdes is a nice area, so I'm sure there were nice views along the way.

PV, an awesome place to run a marathon

I love this race so much that I couldn't stay away even though I'm on the disabled list. So I volunteered. Most of the volunteers were high-schoolers. I parked at the city hall located very close to Hawthorne Blvd and Palos Verdes Dr. I then boarded the shuttle for the starting area. On the shuttle I ran into the track/cross-country coach from the university that I work at... talk about coincidence. He had brought one of his runners to attempt an A standard qualifying time for the marathon at the NAIA nationals. He needed to run a 1:14:xx.

When we got dropped off, I wished them well. I headed over to the volunteer tent and picked up my t-shirt. I wasn't given much direction since I was an unattached volunteer. So I wandered over to the registration tables. I was then pulled by the Prime Time folks to help with late registration. Fun stuff.

Volunteer shirt

Maniac friends

I saw my fellow marathon maniac friends, including some I haven't seen in awhile. I left the registration tables to see the start of the race. This year, the half marathoners and marathons started together. Also they had timing chips this year which allowed them to combine the start of the 2 races. After shooting some pictures and a video of the start, I went back to the table to help with the 5k registration. I guess I was meant to volunteer since a lady was short $2 and I covered it for her. Good investment. We were still registering people as the 5k race was underway. After the last person, I got up and walked down to the little expo. I talked to the ladies at the Team in Training booth. I calculated the time and I went up to the course to see the first runner from the half marathon/marathon come through.

Starting line

Star Spangled Banner

On your mark... get set... go!

1st male half marathoner from CUI

1st female half marathoner

Expo

After cheering on the runners for about 3 hrs, I walked over to the shuttle line. The line was very long and everyone was grumbling about it. I have a feeling that logistics is going to force them to change the course again. I took the shuttle back to City Hall. After a morning of volunteering, I worked up a pretty good appetite. I headed over to the Mitsuwa in Torrance for a late lunch. I ate some delicious chicken katsu.

Katsuhana - chicken katsu

Country Music Marathon 2011

Before the race
I left early Friday morning out of LAX. Landed in Nashville around 2pm. I picked up my rental car and headed over to the convention center in downtown to attend the expo. I parked in the same parking structure as I did last year near 2nd and Commerce. It was a couple of blocks from the convention center. I picked up my race packet and headed over to the stage next to the Nutrilite booth to see Kara Goucher. All of the seats were already filled. It was standing room only.

Expo

Guest Speaker List

Kara Goucher on the stage

I thought I was pretty quick in lining up for Kara's autograph, but there was already a pretty good size line. When it was my turn with Kara, I thought I'd give others a chance to meet her so all I did was take a quick picture, had her autograph my bib, and wished her well in next year's Boston Marathon. It was about 30 seconds tops. I'm sure I'll see her again at some other race.

I signed up the Los Angeles Rock n' Roll Half Marathon just as I had planned. I got a pretty nice "free" shirt for signing up. Somehow I also signed up for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon... not how I had planned. I guess my leg is feeling much better. I got out of the expo before I had the chance to spend any more money.

Free shirt

Getting out of the parking structure was a pain. There was a huge line. It ended up costing $10 to park there. I'll have to look for a new parking place if I come back to run this race.

On my way to eat, I stopped by a Walgreen to pick up some snacks and drinks. I then drove to the Longhorn Steakhouse right across the street from the hotel.

I ordered a Bass Ale and the filet with shrimp and lobster. I love surf and turf. Lately I've been opting for more surf and less turf. I love southern hospitality... I had about 5 different people check up on me during my meal. I almost wanted to shoo them away. :)

Carbo-loading!

Filet with shrimp and lobster

I drove across the street to my hotel. This year I stayed at the Crossland Suites near the airport. This was about the cheapest suite you can get. But I didn't pay much and I definitely got what I paid for. I knocked out watching the TV.

Race day
Woke up, got ready, and drove myself the the LP Field by 4:30am. I took a nap in my car before walking over to the shuttle stop. The bus took us over to Centennial Park. I had on my windbreaker, but it really wasn't that cold.

Shirt and signed bib

While waiting for the start I ended up talking to Dennis, a 72 year old running the half marathon. Runners are cool. He finished in 1:48:36. I hope I'm in such good shape when I'm his age. Actually after I heal up, it'll take a while to build back up to that shape. I used a couple of portapotties to empty out the bladder. As we got closer to the start, I checked my gear bag and headed for corral 3. On my way there, I ran into The Endorphin Dude. We snapped a photo and wished each other well in our survival race... my legs aren't working and he had another marathon the next day. Crazy darn maniacs! :)

My conservative goals:
Get to half at 2:30.
Run 2nd half in 3:00 - 3:30.
Finish between 5:30 - 6:00.

First half
I got into Corral 3 which was for people planning to run a 3:30 marathon or a 1:45 half marathon. I hung out at the very back so I wouldn't get in anybody's way. At the very back there was a blind runner being guided my poles, one in each hand. Shortly after the national anthem, we were released about 3 minutes after the first wave was released. Even though I started at the very back of my corral, there were people going slower than me. I was jogging and it just felt awkward. There was discomfort but nothing that I would count as painful. My plan was to run 3 miles before taking a walk break to take my gels and S cap. I was able to move much better on the uphills, but they felt like mountains. As I approached mile 13, I slowed down a bit as I saw that I was going to be ahead of schedule.
1: 9:36
2: 9:27
3: 9:59
4: 10:53
5: 10:50
6: 10:32
7: 11:02
8: 11:32
9: 11:58
10: 11:53
11: 12:16
12: 14:15
13: 13:53

Second half
During the 2nd half, I just felt like walking the rest of the way. It was getting quite warm. I really had to force myself to jog. One TNT coach insisted on running with me for almost 2 miles until we got to Shelby Park. I had a beer around mile 24 after taking the loop around the lake at Shelby Park. I couldn't believe how badly I bonked here even though I was jogging the whole time. My legs were cramping really bad in the last 3 miles, so I walked most of it. I knew I had a cushion to get it done until 6 hours but only if I continue at the 15ish min/mile pace. Too bad I used it all up. :) I stopped briefly to encourage and take a picture with The Endorphin Dude. On the home stretch, I just could not get the legs to work. I hobbled to the finish line and was very glad to be able to finally cross Tennessee of my list.
14: 14:15
15: 16:23
16: 14:52
17: 15:13
18: 16:06
19: 17:06
20: 16:51
21: 15:37
22: 15:56
23: 15:39
24: 17:29
25: 17:38
26: 16:10
26.2: 2:46
Finish: 6:00:07

After the race
After a long walk around the stadium, I found the UPS trucks to pick up my gear bag.
It was another long walk to my car. I had to hurry up and change out of my race clothes. I had to make it back to the airport to return the car. I made it with about 5 minutes to spare. Good thing Nashville doesn't have crazy traffic.

Finisher's medal

This was definitely a survival git-r-done marathon. Last year's race was cut short due to severe storm. So this year I just wanted to finish, cross off TN, and hopefully not hurt the left leg too much in the process. The left leg didn't really bother me much in the pain department. It just felt awkward. The right hip flexor was a little sore, but definitely did not hurt as much as it did in my other races. The heat made it tough and the S caps that I was taking helped but I've been so out of shape since the injury. I guess everything is healing up since I didn't have a limp the day after the race.

Sycamore Canyon 04-23-11

Those who can't run, volunteer. I love it. I've been feeling pretty good lately, but I'm pretty sure that the left leg will hurt if I run 1 step. I left pretty early for the long drive out to Sycamore Canyon Trailhead. Good thing I did, because a car had crashed into the freeway median. All of the freeway lanes were held up until a tow truck removed the car. I got to the park a few minutes before 7am. I helped unload the vans and setup the canopies and tables.

Countdown to the start

I started off helping out at the registration table. It was pretty cool when you end up recognizing so many people. A Korean lady even started speaking to me in Korean. Sorry, I'm not Korean. :) This happens to me quite often.

Registration Table

The 18k, 30k, and 50k runners all started at 8:30am. The 8k runners start 15 minutes later. After all of the runners took off, we setup the food table.

8:30 Start

Race Directors, Sarah and Michael

Big Dogs

Race Start!

The Finish Line

I later worked the 30k aid station for the 50k runners. There was a kid runner that really loved the oranges. We later had to ask him to leave or else we would have none for those running the 50k.

30k aid station

LA Runner (Billy) coming in for his finish

It's always fun to volunteer. I left shortly after 12pm. I don't think I eat enough when I run marathons or ultras. I was pretty hungry after just volunteering. So I stopped by the Mitsuwa in Mar Vista to eat lunch. I got the chicken katsu curry at Misasa.

Lunch at Misasa - chicken katsu curry

La Jolla half-stroll-a-thon 2011

Before the race

Everyone has their own race to run. A slow race for me still beats sitting at home. But it has to be done within reason. I had skipped a marathon 2 weeks ago because my leg was just hurting too much for 26.2 miles. If I'm not confident in finishing within the race time limit, I will not start the race. Too much damaging pain is also an issue.

I was hesitant in running jogging the La Jolla Half Marathon. After the painful 2:40 at the NYC half, the smartest thing to do would be to continue with the rest. But I wanted to see if everything was getting better. The thing that bothered me more than the hurting left lower leg was the very painful right hip flexor.

The day before the race, I decided to give it a go. I had purchased VIP packet pickup, so I could get my race packet at the starting area on race day. The pickup table opened at 6am and I got to the Del Mar Fairgrounds around 5:30am. It felt okay when I walked around, but I knew it's the pounding from running that causes the discomfort in the left leg. My plan was to see how it felt and if it was too much, I would drop out. The first mile was a loop around the parking lot so dropping out would be very convenient.

About 30 minutes before the race start, the announcer announced that their national anthem singer backed out and that they were looking for a volunteer. It turns out there was a couple of runners that were professional wedding singers. So they harmonized the national anthem which was pretty good.

Starting Line

The race

I don't usually for a half marathon but I brought my camera because I planned on jogging the course. This was the first time I've attached my bib to the iFitness belt. They released us in two waves. The second wave was for leisure runners and walkers, so I started near the back of the first wave. The first mile was uncomfortable because it was mostly cambered. I tried to land as softly as possible. After a while it felt better especially as we hit a small hill. The downhill sections causes discomfort in the left leg. If I concentrate on the form, the right hip flexor did not hurt. It got a little sore near the end, but it was nowhere near the pain I felt in NYC. I pulled over to the side near mile 4 to take a picture of Torrey Pines.

Torrey Pines State Park up ahead

I did most of my passing during the big climb up Torrey Pines State Park and the last climb up Torrey Pines Road to Prospect Place. Right before the steep cobblestone downhill there was a line of people looking for bandits. Among those bouncers was a lady wearing a shirt that read "WTF!" I told her "seriously, nice shirt". We were pretty fortunate to have an overcast for pretty much the entire time as the weather can sometimes get very warm for this race.

1: 9:50
2: 9:22
3: 9:40
4: 10:39
5: 9:58
6: 11:35
7: 9:42
8: 12:54
9: 11:33
10: 11:07
11: 12:05
12: 11:55
13.1: 13:07
Finish: 2:23:27

After the race

Even though it was my personal worst on this course, I'm glad it felt better than several weeks ago in NYC. I took 1 minute walk breaks every 3 miles and a S cap every hour. I also took 3 Hammer gels during my walk breaks. The water they were passing out at the finish line tasted horrible. It was tap water from a hose, which they used to fill up plastic trash cans. I liked the shirt and medal this year. They've been pretty ho-hum in the years past.

Bib, shirt, and medal

I took a picture of the cove before getting on the bus back to Del Mar. I love the San Diego area, especially La Jolla. I would love to come down here every chance I got, but this might be the last time I run the Triple Crown series. Well, at least until I rest up so I can at the very least run a 1:30 half marathon. I felt pretty out of shape in this race since I haven't been running at all for a while. My right calf was cramping really bad on the bus ride.

La Jolla Cove

Labor of Love Marathon

Labor of Love medal (picture taken from Marathon Mitch)

Shot through the heart and you're to blame. Darlin', you give love a bad name!

This past weekend, I was supposed to have been in Las Vegas running the Labor of Love Marathon. Instead I was at home with the dog watching Tangled and The Goonies. Two very good movies, but I wished that I was out there in the snow with my crazy friends.

It was kind of funny that I was carbo-loading this weekend like I was about to run a race. I ate a lot of angel hair pasta and a lot of loco moco. But it's all good since I've been lifting weights in the meantime. Even without the running, my weight has been steady at about 148lbs.

Yes, I know I have to rest. My leg will not get better until I give it at least a month off. This was my first time taking a DNS (did not start) for any race. It's probably the smartest thing I've done lately. When you can't run from the very first step without pain, it would've been insane to try and cover 26.2 miles with elevation and snow. But being the crazy person that I am... if I could make that choice again, I'd choose to walk the whole thing. Ultimately it came down to too many factors making it unfavorable for me to attempt the race. Here are the top 3 reasons:

1. 2 non-working legs: left tibia sfx and bad right hip flexor
   
2. price of gas
3. having to leave the dog by herself for 1.5 days
   

Carlsbad 5000 All Day 25k

Endurance athletes are definitely a different breed with varying degrees of insanity. I would look upon someone that runs a 50 or 100 miler to be insane. But I'm looked upon by fellow marathoners as insane for grinding through so many races while injured. I've managed to get through a bout of Achilles tendinitis early in 2010. But unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I won't be able to get through any more races with my current injury. I self-diagnosed myself with a stress fracture in the tibia. I've seen my doctor, but all I've gotten out of that doctor visit was have my blood and urine samples examined. Regardless if the diagnosis is correct or not, it hurts too much for me to run with my normal gait. My altered gait has caused my right hip flexor to hurt a lot.

However long it took me, I willed myself through the Surf City Marathon, Red Rock Marathon, and the NYC half marathon. After the Carlsbad 5000 all day 25k, I've had enough and I even cringe at the idea of trying to get through another event in my present condition.

I really love spending time with fellow endurance athletes, not just marathon maniacs and half fanatics. Runners in general tend to be good people with great demeanor. That's the primary reason why I can't stay away from races. While I'm on the sideline, I plan to volunteer at races as much as I can.

Ok, so here's what went down...

Carlsbad 5000 starting line

My plan going into this race was to just run the first heat with the old guys and just watch the rest of the heats from the sidelines. I got into the train station parking lot at about 5:30 am. After taking a quick cat nap, I headed over to the packet pickup on Harding St. The registration tents weren't supposed to open until 6am, but there were lines already formed. After picking up my packet, I headed over to Jefferson St to pick up my race shirt. It was still dark and early so things weren't quite setup. I headed back to my car after I got my shirt. I like the design.

After pinning on my bib and attached the chip to my shoe, I headed over to the starting area. I bumped into the Galindos before the start of the first heat. Say what you will about the evil Rock n' Roll empire, but every year they improve on the 25k all day event. This year they sectioned off an area near the starting corrals and called it the "All day 25k lounge". They had drinks, food, electro-therapy, and portapotties reserved just for those running the 25k. They even had "bouncers" checking on people's bibs to make sure non-25kers do not get in.

All Day 25k lounge

Masters Men 40+: 29:37 (9:32)
1: 9:18
2: 9:54
3: 9:38
3.1: 0:48
I started off at what felt like a really really slow pace and it felt horrible. There was a giant green gnome giving out high fives. Galindo found me a little after the first left turn onto Carlsbad Blvd. We ran and chatted all the way to the finish line. I tried to run with my normal gait as we neared the finishing stretch down Carlsbad Village Dr.

break: 25:27
I felt like quitting and calling it a day, but for some reason I went back out to the starting area for the 2nd heat.

Masters Women 40+: 31:21 (10:06)
1: 9:04
2: 10:51
3: 10:39
3.1: 0:48
I had planned to jog this heat with Galindo. But the adrenaline definitely kicked in near the start of this race. I powered through some of the inclines, but I quickly faded. The discomfort was just too much so I kept slowing down. I lost sight of Galindo, but saw him up way ahead on the turn around. Again I was able to run ok down Carlsbad Blvd for the finish.

break: 52:37
I definitely wanted to quit. This was the longest break between heats. So I went back to my car to pick up my Carlsbad Marathon cap and my iFitness belt to carry my camera. I met my friend in front of the beer garden to give him the cap. We tried to catch the start of the wheelchair race, but they already went by.

Men 30-39: 36:51 (11:52)
1: 11:13
2: 13:05
3: 11:42
3.1: 0:51
Well, I felt like I might as well go out and complete my AG heat. I took it slow and the right hip flexor really started bothering me. It hurt so much that I walked a lot of mile 2. I tried to pick it up a little on the 3rd mile and on to the finish.

break: 17:21
Since I took so dang long, this was shortest break between heats. But it was ok since the next heat was for the walkers.

Women 30-39: 43:02 (13:51)
1: 13:29
2: 14:48
3: 13:42
3.1: 1:04
Well, since it's the heat for walkers, I could take as long as I wanted. I tried to jog as much as I could and walked whenever the hip flexor was hurting.

break: 28:51
My leg muscles were starting to lock up, so I looked for GUs at the lounge. But they had already run out. I ate an energy bar and drank some electrolyte drink.

29 and under: 45:01 (14:30)
1: 13:20
2: 15:05
3: 15:20
3.1: 1:16
The gnome was now mocking me. After giving me a high five, he or she starts jogging with me as my friends and I started way in the back. We were pulling up the rear. I had to walk a lot of this heat. To make matters worse, my legs were cramping by mile 2. As I was getting close to the final turn to the finish line one of the course marshals was encouraging us to hurry up and finish. The elite runners were ready to start their race. I gimped as fast as I could to finish line.

Total running time: 3:05:49 (11:58)
Total overall time: 5:10:09

Race shirt, bib, and medal

I seriously could not believe that I made it through all 5 heats. I grabbed a drink to try and ease the cramping muscles. My friends and I picked up our all day 25k medals. We then set out to watch the elite runners near the finishing stretch. I positioned myself near the train tracks and took some videos. This was a great event, but the all day 25k race is definitely not one where you want to run while injured.

Elite Men

Elite Women

NYC Half 2011

Travel, expo, and pre-race eating
I took a red-eye flight out of LAX Friday night. I picked a window seat and tried to sleep through the entire flight, but I have a hard time sleeping in a seated position. My lower back started giving me problems. But luckily I slept enough that soon we were flying over Manhattan. It was pretty cool to see the Manhattan lights from the airplane. After landing, I took the Airtrain to Sutphin Blvd to connect to the E train.

I took the train to West 4th Street and walked to Washington Square. The weather was pretty chilly in the high 30s. I took a picture of the arch. Reminded me of When Harry Met Sally. But in the movie, you can see the Twin Towers beneath the arch. So sad.

Washington Square

I then walked over to the Metropolitan Pavilion, but the expo wasn't open for another hour. It was a pretty windy day. I had originally planned to eat breakfast at the Cafeteria on 7th Ave, but they didn't look open. So I walked around some more and decided to eat at McDonald's. I haven't had a sausage egg McMuffin in ages. Afterwards, I walked back to the expo and even though it was still 30 minutes before it opened, there was already a line forming.

Expo at the Metropolitan Pavilion

Line to enter the expo

We were let in right at 9am. It was nicely organized. After picking up my race packet, we were instructed to put on our bracelet before we were given our race shirts. The bracelet was required to enter race corrals and to be given a finisher's food bag and medal. They were definitely cracking down on bandits and the sale/transfer of bibs. I was expecting a much bigger expo but there was only about 12 small booths. I walked through it in a matter of seconds. I think I did 4 laps just to make sure I didn't miss anything.

I walked up several blocks to my hotel in Koreatown... the Hotel Stanford on West 32nd Street which was located very close to the Empire State Building. I hung out in the hotel lobby. I tried to check-in early, but my room wasn't ready. When 11am rolled around, I walked over to Go! Go! Curry! on West 38th Street near 8th Ave in the fashion district. I ordered the Grand Slam. It was a lot of protein on one stainless plate and I enjoyed it very much. Sure it was a big plate of chicken katsu, pork katsu, fried shrimp, sausages and eggs, but it wasn't much of a challenge.

Go! Go! Curry!

Grand Slam#1

After hitting the Grand Slam, I took the subway down to Battery Park to try and visit the Statue of Liberty. The line was insanely long. It stretched for blocks. I decided that I would visit Lady Liberty some other day. So I rode the subway back up to the Penn Station and was able to check into my room. After dropping off my backpack and taking a quick nap, I went back out to visit the Empire State Building. I paid $21 to go up to the observation deck. It was more or less the same trip as I remembered taking when I was younger... you ride 1 elevator up 80 floors and another one for 6 floors. But unlike ~20 years ago when I last went up, there was a lot of lines. It felt like a Disneyland ride with the lines having you go through a gift shop. It definitely felt more commercialized. I took pictures of several famous Manhattan buildings before going back down.

Observation deck

Before returning to my room, I stopped by a CVS around the corner to buy some drinks, a gallon of water, and toothpaste. No more buying snacks. I need to stop eating crap.

Pre-race morning stuff
I woke up around 3:30am to get ready. I ate my Clif Mojo bar and drank my orange juice. I wore enough layers of clothing in preparation for the chilly race. The race weather was going to be in the 30s topping out in the 40s. I wore my Team in Training singlet over my navy blue Nike shirt with arm sleeves and calf sleeves. I wore my windbreaker and track pants to stay warm before the race.

I took the number 6 train up to East 96 Street and walked over to Central Park. While walking around in the dark near the starting corrals... I ended up hanging out with Edwin, a pretty dang fast runner from Florida. He runs his half marathons in about 1:10.

He gives me a few suggestions on how to treat my ailing leg. He had dealt with a stress fracture in the tibia before. After it came closer to the start, I wished him well in his race and I went to go use the portapotties. I then went to the UPS trucks on 5th Ave to drop off my bag. I went to the portapotties one last time before entering my corral.

Starting corral

I was hoping my legs would allow me to run with a normal stride, but I knew it wasn't going to happen just one week after the Safari Park Half Marathon. My goal was to just finish before the 3hr cutoff without further hurting my gimpy legs.

The race
From the very first step, I could only land gingerly with the left leg. The cold weather also made my right hip flexor very stiff. It was a very gimpy awkward uncomfortable hobble. There was no way I could keep up with anyone in my corral. I was placed in the 3000 corral because I was originally going to attempt a 1:45. I stayed off to the side trying not to block anyone. I tried to find a gait that didn't cause too much pain or discomfort. The lap around Central Park was full of uphills and downhills. I took my first walk break at mile 3. I took a Hammer vanilla gel at 1 hour into the race. Then I took a S cap at about 1:15 into the race.

I got a lot of support from the Team in Training folks. Around mile 8 one of the coaches, Erin, came up and ran next to me to check on me. She probably noticed me hobbling. I told her that I was in pain most likely due to a stress fracture in the tibia, but all I was planning to do was to finish and I would be taking it easy once I got out of the park. She told me to seriously consider dropping out if the pain gets any worse. I promised her that I would be careful.

As I approached mile 9 we were running along 7th Ave and headed into Times Square. I stopped to snap a picture. Just to be able to run through here was worth the registration fee.

Running through Times Square

We turned on West 42nd Street and headed towards the Hudson. I slowed things down as my right hip flexor was starting to really hurt. The walk breaks helped with the pain. I took a Carb-boom apple cinnamon gel they were handing out around mile 10. From here to the finish, I just took it nice and easy since I knew I would definitely finish within the time limit. At around mile 12 I took my other Hammer vanilla gel. I somehow managed to run without too much of an awkward stride about 800m from the finish line.
1: 10:15
2: 10:05
3: 10:48
4: 11:46
5: 12:10
6: 13:05
7: 12:27
8: 12:48
9: 11:39
10: 14:13
11: 13:31
12: 13:14
13: 13:12
13.1: 0:53
Finish: 2:40:07

Post-race stuff and more eating
After crossing the finish line, I got my medal and upon walking further, we were given a bag of post race food. The bag had an apple that I saved, pretzels, and bottled water.

Race shirt, bib, and medal

Finisher's medal

This was my slowest half marathon and by far the hardest I've had to try to finish. But I'm glad I did it. It was much easier running a 1:49:xx at Disney World.

After eating the bag of pretzels, I walked over to the WTC area. There was a lot of construction taking place here. That's good to see. After snapping a few photos I took the subway back to my hotel to get cleaned up. I got a few stares from subway riders and during my walk from Penn Station. I'm just glad I didn't pull a Barney Stinson on the subway.

I got cleaned up and watched some TV before taking the subway down to 8th Street NYU to go eat. I walked up to the famed Ippudo NY to eat some ramen! There have been lots of reviews raving about this place. So of course I had to check it out for myself.

There was a huge line of people waiting to be seated. I was seated right away since I was dining solo. I ordered the special Nakasu Kawabata ramen and a Kirin ichiban beer. I'm not a big fan of Japanese beer, but they don't serve Guinness so it'll have to do. :) The broth was very flavorful. I definitely prefer it over Santouka's. It was so tasty and the noodles were good so I ordered extra noodles (kaedama). Ippudo's ramen was definitely good, but in my opinion not really worth the price. But hey, the line is long for a reason. It's really that good that you've got to try it at least once.

Ippudo NY

Kirin ichiban

Special Nakasu Kawabata ramen

Kaedama!

I took the subway back to my hotel and just vegged out. I slept pretty early.

Before leaving for the airport, I stopped by Go! Go! Curry! again to eat another Grand Slam. Katsu overload! There was some snow showers in the morning, but by the time I checked out, it was just a misty rain. I was able to walk around to everywhere I needed to go without getting too wet.

Grand Slam#2 before I leave

I took the E train from Penn Station to the airport. I kind of zoned out and missed my stop. I got off at Jamaica Center by mistake. I even exited the subway before I knew I was at the wrong station. I went 1 stop too far. I had to pay $2.50 to re-enter and ride the train back 1 station. I really need to stop taking naps on the train. The last time that I took a snooze while riding the L in Chicago, the snooze cost me a new irreplaceable Chicago Marathon finisher's shirt. Luckily this time it only cost me $2.50.

Oh and as I was boarding the plane, I saw Lindsay Lohan sitting in first class on my flight back home. She's been looking rather disheveled as of late. So sad. I hope she gets her life together and stop wasting a blessed life.

Speaking of blessed life. I certainly felt blessed to be able to fly all the way out to NYC just to eat, sight-see, and run a half marathon. It was very fortunate for me that I chose to run NYC instead of the LA Marathon. In my present condition, I would've never made it through that monsoon in LA!